Inspiring Connections
            Spotting the shining diamond out of the thousands of e-mails that bombard my inbox is not always easy.
            I was intrigued, however, by this subject line in an introductory e-mail I received in January of 2024: “AUTISM AND BUSHWALKING: Australian researcher travelling to San Francisco and wishing to meet you.”
            An Australian man, father to an autistic son, was undertaking a Herculean effort to do research for his Winston Churchill Fellowship project out of Australia. The study was on helping autistic people enjoy walking in nature. As the creator of HikingAutism.com, this felt like a perfect match.
            Six months later, I and my family had the pleasure of spending several days talking and hiking with Travis Saunders and his family. They made the remarkably arduous journey from Australia to San Francisco, a long flight that might have been impossible for my autistic son with all the sensory overload and disruption to routine.
            After San Francisco as the first leg of his research trip, Travis and family then traveled extensively to other parts of the U.S. and Canada to meet other individuals and organizations who facilitate opportunities for autistic people to enjoy time in nature.
            It was an uplifting joy to feel Travis’s energy and determination to make lives better. Check out the in-depth report about his project: “To investigate models of support that enable autistic people to access and enjoy bushwalking” (“hiking” for non-Australians!) under his Churchill Trust Fellow page: 
Travis Saunders, Winston Churchill Trust Fellow:  
https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/travis-saunders-sa-2023/
            To read Travis’s reporting on HikingAutism, go to page 19, “Case Study 1: HikingAutism, California, USA”
            It was an honor to be the first stop on Travis’s research trip, and to hear about the amazing progress his son Patrick has made as a result of that journey.
            The photo is of Travis with my son Sean and me on a hike near Lands End during his visit. Another walk we did with Travis and family was at Crissy Field in San Francisco, so this week’s Hike Notes from the archives is: Crissy Field East Beach and Crissy Marsh.
            May we all make connections in life that inspire us. Keep putting one foot forward!
 
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 137: Crissy Field East Beach and Crissy Marsh

Tulip Mania
            “Tulips!” I said to my son on a recent Saturday. “We have to go to the windmill and check the tulips, Seanie!”
            Every year around mid-March I suddenly remember that if we don’t check the tulip garden in Golden Gate Park, we might miss the glorious annual planting. The gardeners choose different colors and planting patterns each year, and it’s always a treat to see.
            I worried that we might be too late, but as we drove up and saw so many people at the edge of the garden, I knew we hadn’t missed it.
            Plum blossoms, magnolias, daffodils, tulips, cherry blossoms, and dahlias. These are just some of the players in the annual parade of flowers we watch for in San Francisco starting from late winter.
            Most of these appear here and there around the city so we’re reminded of them randomly as we’re out and about.
            The tulips are the exception, with the windmill garden being the grand spot for enjoying a dazzling display.
            I feature hikes from the archives to celebrate each flower in season, but just made it under the wire for the tulips this time. If you don’t happen to catch a favorite flower during peak blossom time, enjoy other flowers. The ones you missed will bloom again next year!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Queen Wilhelmina Garden, brings readers to the windmill at the far western side of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which features an artful display of tulips every spring. 
 
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
Hike Notes 129: Queen Wilhelmina Garden

Favorite Things
            “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
            Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens…”
            Anyone who has watched the iconic musical “The Sound of Music” has heard these opening lines to the song, “My Favorite Things.”
            I have discovered many favorite things as a result of living in the San Francisco Bay Area. A few of them appear in this photo: the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, Mt. Tam, birds flying in the foreground of a glorious view backed by blue sky and mountains.
            One of the remarkable things about San Francisco is its interweaving of city structures with stunning nature spaces. Many of us take for granted the amazing variety of views in one urban area.
            I, like many locals, tend to avoid tourist magnets. Here in San Francisco, a pair of adjacent hills called Twin Peaks attracts visitors for amazing views that include many of my favorites. I’ve lived here for decades but have only visited two or three times.
            Sometimes nudging ourselves to check out famous tourist areas reminds us why they are popular.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Twin Peaks-San Francisco Vista Walk, introduces readers to this iconic spot in San Francisco where visitors can see a 360-degree view that includes the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay, Sutro Tower, and the East Bay and points south.
            What are the favorite things in view near where you live? Enjoy some small thing that warms your heart every day, and keep putting one foot forward!
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
 
New this week:
Hike Notes 217: Twin Peaks-San Francisco Vista Walk

Navigating Rough Waves
            Standing atop a hill above Sutro Baths in San Francisco, I look out over the Pacific Ocean. The green blue color of the water contrasts with the browns and grays of the path and rocks before me. I am entranced by the waves in their constant state of motion and change.
            I know though, that waves are powerful and can be treacherous. If we live long enough, we will all be knocked over by big waves of life challenges at some point.
            Learning how to navigate through unexpected situations is a skill we cultivate through experience. Sharing how we cope is a way to help others feel less isolated.
            I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to share some insights on being a parent of an autistic child over the years, most recently in a video interview with Nancy Landrum as an extension of our written interview in Authority Magazine.
            Readers can see the “Parenting an Adult Autistic Son” YouTube interview at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvcoU7uLEhs 
            For those who missed it, the “Lisa Louis of HikingAutism.com on Lessons Learned as a Care-Giver” article is here: https://medium.com/authority-magazine/lisa-louis-of-hikingautism-com-on-lessons-learned-as-a-care-giver-d2082bd03763
            My conversation in the interview brought my mind back to the early days of helping my son get back out in the world after a long stretch when we felt trapped by his autism-related sensory challenges. One of the places he was able to step back into the outdoors was the iconic Sutro Baths, featured as this week’s archive hike.
            May we all find ways to thrive despite the waves that surprise us. Keep putting one foot forward!
 
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
New this week:
Hike Notes 70: Sutro Baths

Pink Confetti
            “Are there buds showing yet?” we ask each other in spring when it’s time for cherry trees to show signs of impending blossoms. We planted a small cherry tree in front of our little house decades ago when we moved in. It was a thrill every year when it bloomed.
            As noted in a story I recently shared with readers, “The Cherry Tree (Small Things),” our sweet little Akebono cherry tree gradually stopped blossoming, and last year it didn’t even produce leaves.
            We were sad to lose the tree we’d loved for so many years, but it gave us reason to plant a new one. As noted in the story, we planted the new cherry tree right after a beloved neighbor passed away. We decided the new tree would honor her memory.
            One month to the day after our neighbor’s passing, the buds on our new cherry tree started to open. With a bit of sunshine, the blossoms started bursting open like popcorn popping. I left in the morning seeing a few open petals and came home in the afternoon to see huge bursts of white-pink blossoms.
            The photo featured in this post was taken on the third day of the blossoms opening. It is already close to full bloom.
            We are grateful for the brief but dramatic exhibit our cherry tree puts on each year, falling in a flurry of white and pink confetti-like petals when wind or rain hit hard enough. Enjoy every moment of beauty and joy that comes your way. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Japanese Tea Garden Stroll, takes readers to the Japanese gardens in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which is especially pretty when the cherry trees blossom in spring. 
 
            Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
            If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
Hike Notes 56: Japanese Tea Garden Stroll